In the beginning of the play was a scene in which Isabel and Thami debate the issue of the role of women in a modern Africa, the debate is about a common struggle in all of Africa: how Africa will define its role in the modern world. While Thami argues for tradition and against the seemingly corrupt and evil Western culture, Isabel argues that Africa must modernize and allow women an equal place in society. It is significant that Isabel is a white South African, as it shows the struggle of Africans to what role the white people, and Western culture as a whole, will play in modern African identity. Isabel overwhelmingly wins the crowd of black students reflects the hopes of the play that South Africans, white and black, will be willing to cooperate and modernize.
Back to Study Guide